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Professional peacemakers mend relationships Fang Jun said it was a spur-of-the-moment idea that drove him to give up a well-paid white-collar job and become a full-time peacemaker. The former sales manager with an information technology firm in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, now travels to every corner of the city to make peace between those who are at odds but are reluctant to say sorry for fear of losing face. Though very few people he talks to are friendly at first, the father of a three-year-old girl says he enjoys his job very much. "I like talking with others to find out what they think," said Fang. "This job allows me to communicate with different people. It's interesting and rewarding, too, when two people at odds reconcile after my intermediation." The computer engineer has found success as a peacemaker though he has never received any professional training in this regard. "Very often I have to say sorry for my clients to those they have offended -- their spouses, fiances, parents, siblings, friends or bosses. My job is to help them convey their regrets and good intentions so that they will understand and pardon each other," said Fang, who would insist on getting enough background information about their disputes beforehand and charges a service fee only after they reconcile. But his efforts do not always pay off. A girl in downtown Xi'an recently came to Fang for help after her breakup with her boyfriend, whom she still loved dearly. "The boy insisted there was no turning back no matter how hard I tried," Fang said. "That's one of the few unsuccessful cases I've got so far." However, the professional peacemaker has won a good reputation among many of his clients, who would introduce more friends and relatives to him afterwards. "I have a tight schedule these days and have hired several assistants to help me," he said. Fang describes his own business as a "briefcase company", because all its assets are a briefcase, which he uses to keep documents about his clients and takes with him wherever he goes. To his joy, the local industry and commerce administration has recently accepted Fang's application to register the city's first legitimate peacemaking company. But Yang, a 27-year-old peacemaker in Dalian, a port city in the northeastern Liaoning Province, is less lucky. Yang, who charges 80 yuan (9.6 US dollars) for each case he helps reconcile, was told by local authorities the business was "illegitimate" and there was no precedent to go by. The senior high school graduate from the southwestern Sichuan Province had done odd jobs in his hometown and the southern Guangdong Province before he became a peacemaker in Dalian last year. "I got the inspiration from some Guangdong-based firms, which help middle-aged and elderly people get in touch again with their old lovers, or provide puppets in a spacious room for people to vent their fury and depression," said Yang. He said he is having good business by putting up posters on Dalian's streets to promote the service. Sociologists with the Dalian Polytechnic University also believe peacemakers should be taken as a legitimate occupation, because by saying sorry for others, the peacemakers are in fact promoting peace and mutual understanding. "Peacemakers have played an important role throughout China's history. I'm happy as long as others are happy and peaceful," saidFang Jun. |
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